MARCS in the clear saves another life

[rcid1971]

Man’s life saved by quick actions of locals

As the Muskingum County dispatch center began notifying area first responders, including some Dresden and Frazeysburg personnel who were on the scene of a fully engulfed home, the tones and following notification by dispatchers was heard not just by emergency responders but citizens upriver.

Unlike other counties who after upgrading to Ohio’s state-wide MARCS radio system chose to encrypt their traffic, making it impossible for citizens to listen in and monitor activity, county officials made the decision in light of public transparency to keep most channels unencrypted.

That decision likely saved the 69-year-old’s life as three individuals heard the traffic and knowing time was of the utmost importance sprung into action.

 

[wa8pyr]

Some good news for a change (in several ways)!

 

[Reconrider]

If only police took away encryption as quick as they put it in.
It's unusual to see an agency go from enc to unenc

 

[wa8pyr]

If only police took away encryption as quick as they put it in.
It's unusual to see an agency go from enc to unenc

I don't think Muskingum County has ever been encrypted on most of their talkgroups; they have some tac and special talkgroups which are encrypted but that's it, and as it should be for effective interoperability.

Marion County did flip the off switch on encryption when the new sheriff took office earlier this year, and kudos to him.

 

[a388sig2]

The Marion County sheriff really proved the only way to get this undone is through elected officials, to force this to be a campaign issue and to really hit elected officials in Ohio hard about this.

 

[GSutton2686]

That's 1. We have countless officer lives saved due to encryption.

 

[rcid1971]

That's 1. We have countless officer lives saved due to encryption.

Agreed. That's why there's a time and a place for tactical channels.

 

[scannerboy02]

That's 1. We have countless officer lives saved due to encryption.

Could you point me to any documented examples of this? This is actually something I was trying to find records of as part of a presentation I was putting together about a year ago and was unable to find anything. I would love some examples of this that I could add to my records for the future.